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Southside Faces Stiff Test From Conway

Southside coach Jeff Williams was afforded an opportunity this season he didn’t have in the past to rest his starters during conference play.

That wasn’t an option in the 7A-West, but it has been in the 7A/6A-Central.

Today, the rested Rebels face Conway at Rowland Stadium in a battle for 7A/6A-Central supremacy. Both teams are tied for a share of the 7A/6A-Central lead with undefeated Greenwood.

For the Rebels (4-2, 3-0), the next two weeks will determine where they finish in conference play.

“I think we’ve played well,” Williams said. “Conway is at a different level. They’ve very, very explosive offensively and the (Brandon) Cox kid outside is a dangerous threat. We have to play great on first and third down.”

Conway (5-0, 3-0) pulled away from Northside last week, thanks in part to the Grizzlies losing both starting center Cody Lee and quarterback Gray Stanton. Northside trailed 23-13 at halftime, and one of Conway’s touchdowns came with the help of a fumble recovery.

Like Southside, the Wampus Cats still face the teeth of their league schedule as well.

“These games are what you put all the hard work in the offseason for,” Conway coach Clint Ashcraft said. “We know we have some really good teams left on our schedule to play. Right now, it’s a constant work-in-progress for us.”

Southside, which changed its defense prior to last week’s game against Hall, is healthy again.

“We should be ready to go,” Williams said. “We had a good week (of practice) and we want to focus in on ourselves.”

Williams said the Rebels will have to do a better job of containing Conway’s return game — something that hurt Southside in last season’s 32-27 nonconference win.

Conway’s Jeff Anderson leads all 7A/6A-Central running backs with 831 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Quarterback Cody Rhoades and the Wampus Cats like to use Cox as much as possible — either in the backfield or lining him up as a receiver. Cox has caught 11 passes for 204 yards. Teammate Sydney Moore has a team-high 13 receptions for 188 yards.

The biggest weapon to emerge through five games, however, is Brandon Kotch. The 260-pound offensive guard has been used in Conway’s “Rhino” package, taking direct snaps from center and scoring six touchdowns.

“Fortunately for us, we’ve seen that in practice a lot with Isaac (Jackson) and (David) Price,” Williams said. “They’re not 270 pounds like this kid, (but) it’s tough to stop. They’ve done it in the past, only they’ve done it with a running back and not a guard.”

Blowouts of Parkview, Catholic and Hall have limited players like Jackson, Price and Austin Griffin to two quarters or less.

Jackson has passed for 625 yards and eight touchdowns. Jackson’s also dangerous with his legs, rushing for 300 yards. Price leads the Rebels with 434 yards rushing and eight touchdowns, and is averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Griffin is a triple-threat at receiver, running back and as he proved last week, kick returner.

“They do so many things on offense that make it tough to prepare for,” Ashcraft said. “Defensively, they’re not going to make mistakes; they’re going to line up and not make mistakes. You’re going to have to earn every yard. They’re well-coached and you can tell their kids know what they’re doing.”